Patients often need to use drug self-delivery systems which are operated by the user for routine medication injections during in-home use. Diabetics must often rely on insulin delivery systems which can be used at home or at work to administer necessary insulin. Persons undergoing human growth hormone therapy must also undergo daily injections. These self-delivery systems must be safe, accurate in dose measurement, and easy to use. Conventional syringe devices have been used in the past but place the burden of accuracy for the dose measurement upon the user.
Every diabetic patient is different and may require direct and continued medical supervision. The patient, however, is commonly instructed by the physician as to the strength, type, amount and times at which insulin must be injected on a self-injection basis. The accuracy of the dose of insulin, therefore, is extremely important. Hypoglycemia, commonly referred to as insulin reaction, can occur when the blood glucose level falls very low. Such an event can happen if a diabetic patient delays or misses a meal, exercises at a higher level or for a longer duration than usual without eating, or takes too much insulin.
In contrast, not enough insulin may result in diabetic ketoacidosis. Such a condition can create loss of appetite, thirst, drowsiness, illness or infection. In severe cases, a diabetic coma can result.
Obviously, the failure to administer accurate doses of insulin can be extreme. Therefore, diabetic patients can benefit from a reliable and accurate dose setting syringe which provides selected dose amounts to furnish accurate doses of insulin or other medication.
Human growth hormone medications are very expensive and are also very critical as to dose. When the person administering the human growth hormone is not medically trained, the use of conventional syringes can make obtaining accurate, consistent injections difficult at best.
In addition to the problems associated with accurate dosing, the process of sticking a needle into one's own or somebody else's arm or leg and expulsing the liquid pharmaceutical can be, especially for the medically untrained, quite difficult.